Five-Star General Coins in Clad, Silver and Gold Proposed

Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas introduced coin legislation to honor five-star Generals and the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) for its service in educating the nation’s military leaders since its founding in 1881.

The 50 cent clad, $1 silver and $5 gold coins would portray Five-Star Generals George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar Bradley — each alumni of the CGSC, which was founded in 1881 at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

"Kansas is proud to be the home of the oldest, largest and arguably the most prestigious military staff college in the United States. The school is a first class center of excellence for leadership development and joint operational education," said Senator Roberts.

The coin design honors the CGSC’s most famous graduates, who led U.S. forces to victory in World War II. Their minting would coincide with the celebration of the 132nd anniversary of the founding of the college.

S. 3456 includes surcharges of $35 for each $5 gold coin, $10 for every silver dollar coin, and $5 for each half-dollar clad coin. Surcharges would be paid to the Command and General Staff College Foundation, a not for profit organization that is chartered to support the CGSC.

For any legislation to become law, it must pass both the House and the Senate, and get signed by the President.

I can’t say how much I hope this bill never passes. Who in their right mind would want to spend money to collect such nonsensical coins? This is turning the US Mint into another set of Franklin Mint coins of questionable value.